There are a relatively few incidents of bird flu spreading to human beings across the globe but that is not keeping the food industry from preparing for the worst.
The bird or avian flu, as it is also known, is unlikely to have a negative impact on the human population unless the H5N1 strain were to mutate into a form that spreads among people.
If that were the case, the Department of Homeland Security, estimates up to a third of the population could become ill and absenteeism could reach 40 percent or more in the workplace.
Unlike other industries such as healthcare, an Associated Press report points out, most of the preparation for the bird flu coming to the U.S. is being handled by individual companies.
"The industry is actively thinking through contingency plans, so if it should happen, our members would be well prepared to deal with it," said Tim Hammonds, president of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI).
Should a bird flu pandemic actually take place in the U.S., Mr. Hammonds said it would likely benefit the supermarket business as consumers would likely decrease the amount of time spent eating out.
"That means stores would need to be prepared for an increase in volume," he said.
Discussion Questions: What are your thoughts on the potential for a bird flu pandemic that would result in transmission between humans? What level of concern should the industry have about it? What do you see as the likely reaction of the food and grocery industries should a mutation of the H5N1 strain take place?